War of Devolution

The War of Devolution (24 May 1667-2 May 1668) was a war fought between the Kingdom of France and an alliance of Spain and the "Triple Alliance" (England, the United Provinces, and Sweden). The war saw France make minor territorial acquisitions in the southern Spanish Netherlands after defeating its rivals in the first of King Louis XIV of France's wars.

From 1661, King Louis assumed full control of his country, but France was almost bankrupted by years of war. His finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert inaugurated a programme of economic rearmament, encouraging industry and stimulating trade. By 1665, Louis was ready to wage war. He claimed the Duchy of Brabant in the Spanish Netherlands, and he argued that the Brabantine law allowed equal rights of female succession to property; he claimed that the duchy has devolved to his Habsburg-descended queen, Maria Theresa of Spain (who was also the elder sister of King Carlos II of Spain). The war began in 1667, with the Vicomte de Turene leading the French Army into the southern Netherlands. He picked off the main towns in a series of rapid sieges, and the undermanned Spanish garrisons (with neglected defensive infrastructure) were overwhelmed. In an attempt to halt the French king, the United Provinces allied with England and Sweden to form a "Triple Alliance" against France, and Louis backed down. France had been preparing to invade Catalonia and the rest of the Spanish Netherlands when Louis made peace with his enemies at Aix-la-Chapelle. The French destroyed the fortifications of Gray and Dole before withdrawing, and they were also forced to abandon the imperial city of Besancon. However, France was able to keep Lille, Tournai, Oudenarde, Courtrai, Furnes, Bergues, Douai, La Scarpe, Binche, Charleroi, Ath, and Armentiers.